1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hammock having a protective canopy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Camping, even of the minimum equipment-backpacking type, requires some form of shelter for sleeping, protection from inclement weather, and equipment storage. Heretofore this shelter has most often been a tent and many small, lightweight tents suitable for backpacking have been developed.
However, tents require a flat, smooth area for pitching. This is not always available. Clearing a site to pitch a tent may cause ecological damage through the destruction of small plants or saplings. Tents are also prone to flooding in rain storms and difficult to pitch in the winter.
Hammocks provide a bed for a camper which does not require a flat smooth area and may be used in the winter. However, unless provided with a canopy they provide little protection to the camper and usually no protection to his equipment.
Canopied hammocks in the past have employed frames which so increase the bulk and weight of the equipment as to lessen or preclude its use for backpacking. The design of these hammocks, particularly in the use of a plurality of grommets at each end, necessitates a heavy weight fabric. Further, in many cases, such canopies consisted only of mosquito netting or netting plus a roof and did not provide adequate shelter to the camper or his equipment.